Fading Juxtaposition
by Strifegirl27
Summary: He was the enemy, this was black and white in her mind. Yet lately the this contrasting line had been fading, turning gray. A short one shot in Stella's POV, Rated T just in case.


**This is a short one shot based on the street scene between Noctis and Stella; it is in Stella's point of view…simply because that is what happened to come to me at this moment and also because her view is very seriously underrepresented here!! **

**Ever since I saw the part in the trailer where Stella is waiting for Noctis in the street, it has been nagging at me! I just couldn't get past the melancholy expression on Stella's face as she was waiting for him, head bowed. And the vulnerability displayed in our Prince was, for me, beyond compelling. I wondered what would be going through their minds at this point! Since we don't have the game, so I don't know the steps that have lead to this conjuncture, I just had to guess, and give it my own spin!**

**So this is the result, I am afraid it has come across pretty emotional and a bit cheesy…sorry about that haha! I basically just wrote down what was coming into my head after all my contemplating and this is the result!! And also…please don't hate Stella, as perfect as she seems, something makes me think there is more to her than Square Enix has been letting on! I have decided to give her a fair chance, and was actually surprised by how enjoyable writing her point of view was.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, nor any of the characters/plot mentioned here, this is simply my pre-game interpretation of what may or may not be based on the information we have been given.**

**Oh I just thought I would mention, italics represent Stella's thoughts, or rather comments because it is pretty much completely her thoughts…just in case it isn't clear in the writing.**

**Okay…without further a due…. (Finally, my hands hurt from all this typing!!)**

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**Fading Juxtaposition**

She felt his presence before she saw him. She knew that in a matter of seconds he would come to the very spot she was standing, that he would know where her allegiances lay. She told herself not to care, he was the enemy, nothing more. Yet somehow her mind and heart were having a heated debate about the validity of that statement.

When did this situation become saturated in gray? Before she met him things were black and white, distinct, clear and divided. Now the circumstances were a muddled mess of gray, various shades meticulously intertwined by fate and duty. She knew her duty, to both her kingdom and to the many authorities who relied on her success. The minute she saw his face, however, those duties would lose their significance. All that would remain would be his piercing eyes and the unspoken questions between them.

She stopped that thought right there, there was no "them", There was herself, Stella Nox Flueret, princess of Tenebrea and Noctis Lucius Caelum, the Prince who was stalling her progress and threatening her people. "Them" was not a concept she could even for the briefest moment indulge. This, however, did not stop her mind from wishing she could, even just to ponder the possibility.

Her eyes fell to the ground and her face followed. She refused to see him arrive, which, inevitably, would be occurring any moment now. To meet his eyes was an impossibility, the very thought reminded her of their first encounter. How he had acted cool and confident, yet she saw through this façade. Though some people regarded the Prince as arrogant and distant, one look in his eyes told her this was a fallacy. For she had been surprised at how deep and questioning those eyes were, the few times that night he had actually made eye contact with her. It was with good reason he kept his gaze averted, while his words could be easily manipulated on command, his body and especially his eyes refused to cooperate. His eyes were a portal to the parts of himself he could not hide, and he knew it as well as she.

In those crystal blue eyes she saw a man, strangely so for his years, intimately acquainted with pain and duty. Duty, the word hung in her mind and brought her back to the present. Her duty, she had always believed obtaining the crystal was the right thing, that the Caelum dynasty and their kingdom must be brought down from their high pedestal. She had zealously taken it upon herself to travel to said kingdom in hopes of resolving this peacefully, but know lines had been crossed and things could no longer be silenced with ink. Now resolution could be only written with blood, at least that is what was thought by the councilors of Tenebrea. Yet now she wasn't quite so sure. Once again she saw the juxtaposition of black and white fade into a more ambiguous gray.

And it was her fault, she knew that beyond the reaches of her mind the world was still black and white. It was her own thoughts that had become muddled, all because she had looked into those blue eyes. Every time she did, the black and white blurred a little more, until now she was questioning her duty and purpose.

_Damn you Noctis _she thought sadly. As if summoned by her thoughts, the Prince slid into her peripheral vision, wrenching her from her reverie.

He slowly took a couple of steps to dissipate the speed at which he had arrived, her head refused to turn, to meet his gaze. Guilt washed through her, surely she owed him that much, to look into his eyes and finally admit her stance in this conflict between two nations. Slowly she forced her visage to meet his own and felt shame at the vulnerability and hurt she saw on his face. She hurled away the feelings that made her want to embrace him and make this whole situation better. Her heart wanted to cast aside her allegiances, to take away the hurt she knew she was causing.

That was not an option for her; princesses are not afforded this luxury of choosing sides. Betrayal was blatant in his eyes, but she refused to take responsibility for it. She knew which side she was on, she, had from birth been sided with Tenebrea and its people.

_No Noctis, you are not the one that has been betrayed._ Though she felt guilty once again, the truth of this statement was undeniable. _I have always chosen Tenebrea, I always will. It is simply my heart that has betrayed me._

As if by their own accord her feet took her toward Noctis. In admitting her heart's betrayal, it seemed to empower it to do its will. Her mind was dangerously close to letting it. Then she saw the fated symbol appear behind Noctis, and knew that a similar one was forming behind her. Once again she was reminded of her duty. He was the enemy, this was black and distinct in the swirling monochrome of her mind, it had to be. It was black as the very image of the Prince, attired in his fighting gear.

Noctis' eyes flew open in shock at the symbols now prominent behind them both, and he stopped as she brandished her rapier. Shock then turned into sharp pain, so sharp it threatened to cut her. As he summoned his own weapon, she saw any remorse dissolve into determination. Her eyes mirrored his as they moved toward a deadly clash.

_Yes, there are many things in my world that have faded from stark contrast, but you and I, Noctis, are not one of them. We are black and white, the light and night._

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****Well….What do you guys think?? **

**Feedback would be much appreciated as this is my first serious fanfic!! **

**Too emo? **

**Too cheesy?**

**Just right? **

**Please be honest and let me know!**

**Thanks for reading!! :)**


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